In commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,454,991, 3,700,375, 3,729,103 and 3,804,568 there have been disclosed a variety of take-off members interposable between two relatively movable mold portions in their separated position for the removal of newly formed workpieces from the mold. Another device of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,824. An essential feature of all these systems is the synchronization of the take-off mechanism with the mold drive in order to insure that the extraction of the molded workpiece takes place well before the reclosure of the mold. Whether the mechanism is used for extraction or insertion, a holding member interposable between the mold portions must be capable of rapidly gripping or releasing the transported element during its juxtaposition with one of the mold portions.
Generally, the stroke of the mold drive must be adjustable to accommodate molds of different height in the direction of platen motion. Especially with a mechanical coupling between the mold drive and the transporter (which is more reliable than an electrical synchronization) it is necessary to allow for such stroke adjustment while ensuring correct operation under all circumstances.